Hello dear admins, Let me say from the start. You guys must realy love your work to be looking after poor simple users like me and all the others that I've been reading. I, like probably many, am trying to set up a server for my small home/office of 2 PC's which have Windows. What I would like to do, and if it's possible with Fedora 3 is to at first, use the server to store and access files and mail. As it is now, when mail is received on No1 pc, then if I have to use No2, that original mail is not there. This again goes for documents etc prepaired on either pc. Qu1: Can Fedora be used for this, where all mail from my isp goes into it, then we have to log on from the other 2 pc's with passwords, onto the server, in order to read emails and documets saved there? Qu2: How should be the physical set up of the server. Cable from Internet to => Server Box, to=> Belkin 4 port router, =>Individual cables to each pc. Or can the Server be plugged into the router on spare port? Now as it is now, I have followed your's and other howto's and for the first time actually have had a Linux system up and running. The trouble I found, even though yours and another howto are exellent right up to the finish of the loading of the software, but leaves non experienced persons high and dry. I found another site that said if you want your Linux to have the Windows feel, tick (I think what was called Gnome). I did and for the first time I've got Linux actually working, or can relate to it. So much so that with out any other Howto's, because couldn't find any, I was able to newtork my new box with the other 2 pc's, using Samba and my router. So all 3 machines can swap info. But thats not what I realy want. I want it so we have to log into the server, and the server backs it's self up, just like the big businesses. I have realised now that for all the years of trying to give Linux a go, I was always left with what I know now as the command line. Once there I, like probably many out there who are Windows users who would probably want to try a new OS, get stuck when you have to type a whole bunch of codes to do something that a couple of clicks with Windows does. Qu3: Is there or have I missed, a howto as excellent as your other as mentioned above, showing how to configur Fedora or any versions, by way of using the Windows look alike (Gnome?) and Samba. And not just by way of Command line? Qu4: Once I have this server going, can I also use it to load a website on it one day in the future? I'm sorry if this post is too long, but I really needed to ask these questions as there are no other places to do so, for free anyway. If I get this server up and running, I would be so appreciative. I would recommend Linux to all I come across, and also donate a small some to your cause. Thanks for your time, Humph.
Yes. You should use IMAP for the emails, i.e. you have an IMAP daemon installed on your server, and in your email clients (like Outlook or Thunderbird) you say you want to use IMAP instead of POP3. That way the mails stay on the server and are still available when you switch your client PCs. To share your documents, you should use Samba. Plug the server into the router, and then forward all needed ports (e.g. 25 for SMTP, 143 for IMAP) from your router to your server. I don't know of any tutorial that configures a system as a server and at the same time installs a desktop on it. The reason for this is simple: a desktop eats up performance, and it's a potential security hole. Of course, you can do it in your local network, but big businesses wouldn't do it. You can use this tutorial: http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_fedora_core_4 , and during the basic installation you can say that you also want to have a desktop. Yes. Just follow this tutorial: http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_fedora_core_4 , and you have an Apache web server on your system. You can install ISPConfig ( www.ispconfig.org ) on the system, because then it's much easier to create web sites and email users, etc. But the tutorial doesn't cover the setup of Samba...
